Abuse and molestation cover is the policy. Everything else is around it.
Cover for daycares, preschools and home childcare — where the licensing, the transportation and above all the abuse and molestation exposure decide whether the business is insurable.
Tell us the situation.
A licensed human replies the same business day — not an auto-responder, and not five producers calling at once. We shop it across our carriers and tell you if the policy you already have is the right one.
We use this to quote and service your insurance, and we do not sell it or pass it to lead networks. Privacy policy.
What daycare businesses actually need.
Abuse and molestation
Allegations against staff or volunteers, including defense costs.
Without it — The defining exposure of the sector, and excluded from general liability.
General liability
Injury to children on the premises and at the playground.
Without it — Playground and supervision claims are frequent and are what parents sue over.
Professional liability
Claims of inadequate supervision, wrongful release of a child, failure to follow a care plan.
Without it — Releasing a child to the wrong adult is a supervision claim, not a premises one.
Commercial auto
Any vehicle used to transport children, including staff cars on outings.
Without it — Transporting children is the single highest-severity thing a center does.
Student accident
No-fault medical cover for minor injuries.
Without it — A small no-fault payment frequently stops a claim escalating.
What daycare operators ask us.
Why does abuse and molestation cover dominate this class?
Because it is the claim that ends businesses, and because an allegation is expensive whether or not it is founded. Cover is usually written with its own limit, and the important questions are whether defense costs sit inside or outside that limit, and whether the form covers allegations against volunteers and parent helpers as well as employees. Expect underwriters to ask hard questions about background checks, two-adult rules, sightlines, camera coverage and bathroom procedures — those answers determine whether you can be written at all.
Do I need commercial auto if we rarely drive?
Yes, and hired and non-owned auto if staff ever use their own cars. Field trips, an emergency run and a school pickup all count, and a personal auto policy excludes carrying children for business. This is the exposure most likely to produce a catastrophic claim from an otherwise low-severity business, so the limits should be set with that in mind rather than at the minimum.
I run a daycare from my home. Does my homeowners policy cover it?
No, and this is the most common uninsured position in the sector. Homeowners policies exclude business pursuits, so a child injured in your home daycare is not covered, and in some cases the business use itself can jeopardise the whole policy. Home childcare needs a commercial policy — it exists and is affordable — alongside a disclosure to your home insurer that the business is being run there.
What does licensing have to do with insurance?
Almost everything, because the state ratios and standards are what an underwriter uses as a baseline. Being licensed and in good standing widens the market substantially; operating over ratio, with lapsed staff clearances or with an open licensing complaint narrows it fast. Insurers commonly ask for the current license, recent inspection reports and your staff-to-child ratios by age group, so have those to hand at quote.
Not ready to talk? The guides answer the questions this page raises in more depth. Already insured with us and need a certificate or a policy change? Ask the service team rather than starting a quote — it is faster and it goes to the people whose job it is. We also write home and auto, which is usually cheaper alongside the business policy than apart from it.